Mast support



Jan. 26, 1954 H. G. sEsLER MAST SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17, 1950 INVEN TOR. RQc/@H G. 55u ER H 7' TOIPNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 2,667,318 MAST SUPPORT Hugh G. Sesler, Warren, Ohio Application February 17, 1950, Serial No. 144,723

. 3 Claims. Y l

My invention relates to mast supports, particularly to supports for television antennas, and the principal object of my invention is to produce new and improved supports of this character.

Proper support of a mast in low-cost manner and with provision for ready maintenance has been a considerable problem for some time. This problem has been accentuated with the advent of television since a large number of localities still require an outside antenna of considerable height.

Heretofore, television antennas have either been installed in costly manner to insure stability, or have been installed in cheap and haphazard manner. The costly installation seriously limited the sale of television apparatus; on the other hand, many communities have considered legislation prohibiting haphazard installations because of the many dangers involved.v My invention provides low cost apparatus for supporting a mast, such apparatus being easily installed with the use of only simple tools. Further. through use of my invention, one man may easily install a. television antenna, thus reducinglabor cost. easily lower the mast, should repairs be necessary. 4 In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application, there is shown, for purposes of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume,and in this drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of my invention, and showing such invention as supporting a mast from a roof top,

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the embodiment,

Figure 3 is a side elevational showing, in full lines, the device in upright position, andshowing, in dotted lines, the device in horizontal 'position,

Figure 4 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view corresponding generally to the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a spring clip used in the embodiment disclosed.

My invention provides a mast support comprising means engageable with the mast and supported so that it may be moved to and from upright position, other means being provided to selectively prevent or permit movement of the mast supporting means.

With particular reference to the drawings, wherein is disclosed a presently preferred embodiment of my invention, the mast I0 is supported by a tubular member II.

Also, my invention makes it possible to The mast may be the support for a television antenna, or it may be a ag pole, or it may be used for any one of a number of other applications.

As herein disclosed, a pair of strips I2 and I3 provide the means for supporting the tubular member II, such strips being preferably disposed at opposite side surfaces of the tubular member I I and each terminates in a leg I4 for securement to a support, such as a roof or the like. The legs I4 may be bent to flt the shape of any support, and as shown in dot-dash lines, at I4a, one leg is straight with the remainder of the strip, and the other leg is bent at right angles to the remainder of its strip, for installation on a, rightangled supporting surface. As shown in full lines in Figure 2, each of the legs I4 is angled so as to conform tothe angularity of the peak ofa roof, and the legs may be formed with apertures to pass lag screws for attachment to the roof.

'I'he tubular member II is formed with longif tudinally spaced pairs .of apertures I5 and I6, each pair of apertures, in the case of a round tube, being preferably diametrically aligned. Each of strips I2 and I3 is formed with apertures I 1 and I 8 which are longitudinally spaced to correspond to the spacing of the apertures I 5 and I6.-

The tubular member II and strips I2 and I3 are assembled by aligning apertures I'I and VI8 with respective apertures I5 and I6, and bolts I9 and 20 are passed through the respective aligned apertures, nuts 2| and 22 being threaded on the terminal ends of respective bolts to prevent their displacement.

To install a device of my invention, a user secures the legs I4--I4 to the support surface, such as the roof, by means of lag screws or the like, the legs having first been bent, if necessary, to follow the angularity of the roof surface.V The lower bolt 20 is then removed so that the tubular 1 member II may be pivoted about the-upper bolt I9, and moved from upright position, shown in full lines in Figure 3, to a horizontal position shown in dot-dash lines. y

The lower end of the mast I0 may then be inserted into the socket formed by the tubular member I I, inserting movement being limited by abutment of the lower end of the mast with the transversely extending. shank portion of. the bolt I9. A set-screw 23, carried by the tubular member I I, may be tightened on the mast to prevent movement of the mast in its socket.

Assuming that any necessary guy wires havey already been attached to the mast in Vproper location, a user may then elevate the mast by grasping it at a point distant from the pivot and `in upright relation with 3 walking the mast to upright position by turning the mast about the pivot formed by the bolt I9 While at the same time moving toward the pivot. It will be appreciated that this is the same action used in walking a ladder to upright position.

When the mast I0, together with the tubular y member II, has been moved to upright position, the bolt 20 is inserted through aligned apertures IB and "IBfrespectively, in the tubularmember I l and strips I2, I3, and its nut is threaded in place. In this condition, the tubular member II and mast l0 are held in upright position and a user may secure the guy wires, if such wires are necessary and are used.

As best seen in Figures 2 and l3, Va strip 24 is welded to the exterior surface Vof .the tubular member II, intermediate the heads of the bolts Vmeans and providing legs which are adapted to be secured to a support, such as a roof; first bolt means providing a pivot connection between said lsupporting means and said tubular means, where- I9 and 20. The terminal edges of the strip .24.'

provide abutments which engage the bolt heads and hold the bolts from turning during the time nuts .-are threaded .on the bolts.

To further facilitate installation, Spring clips 25 are secured to the lower end of the tubular member Il Each of the spring clips 25 comprises a pair of legsZI, an upper portion of each leg being welded to an interior surface of the lower end of the tubular member, so that lower portions of the legs 25 and a bight'portion 21 connecting respec- :f

tive legs '26 extend beyond the lower end of the tubular member II. The bight portion 2,1 of each Spring-0111125 is recessed to form a socket forgreceivingfazrespective one of the strips I2, 13.

As the tubular member II is moved to upright position, and just prior ito Vreaching such position, the spring-clips :25 lwill 4engage respective ones of strips I2, I3 and the A'spring-clips .25 will be cammed inwardly of the Vtubular member II to permit passage .of Ythe strips 1,2, I3. In upright 4f,

position of the tubular member Il, the recessed bight portion `21 of each spring-clip Awill snap around a respective strip and thus yieldably hold the tubular member VI'I in .upright position. It will be appreciated thatthe spring-.clips may be made of sufficient strength soas to hold the ymast no further' support. However, as presentlypreferred, the spring-clips are designed to snap around the strips I2, `I3

to indicate when upright relation .has been f reached and to form a support against pivot action yduring the time 'a user inserts the bottom bolt 20.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent to lthose skilled in the art that I have accoml,

plished at least the principal object of my invcntion, and it also will be apparent to those `skilled in the vart that the embodiment herein described may be variously changed and modified, without departing from the'spirit of the invention, and that the invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiment is illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. A mast support, comprising: tubular means for supporting the mast;'means for supporting said Vtubular means, comprising a pair of strips disposed on opposite side surfaces of said tubular meansand providing legs which yare adapted to be .secured to a support, such as a roof; a pivot in diametrically opposite relation.

by saidtubular means may be swung to and from Y upright position, said rst bolt means forming an Y abutment limiting the amount the mast may be inserted within said tubular means and forming a support for the :weight .of "thefm'ast wheri the lattersis in iupriglfitposition;v springeclip means carried by said tubular means and 'having :snap engagement with at least one of saidstrips rwhen said tubular means is inrupright position, for yieldably holding Said tubular means in vupright position; and second bolt `means spaced from said rst bolt means for 'connecting said tubular means and said supporting means against `relative movement. f

3. A mast support comprising a tubular socket for receiving the'lower end of the "mast, Aa pair of separate leg members .disposed on opposite sides vof said socketr to Aprovide clearanceA for pivotal movement of said socket'ftherebetween, each of said legr membersA havinga depending portion extending beyond 'the lower end of said socket for attachment to a supporting surface, each of said depending leg member portionsbeing movable to conform tothe configuration of said supporting surface, an vupper bolt member extending transversely through said socket member and through the upper portion of said -leg mem'- bersjto limit inward movement of-'saidmast into saidsocket memberysaid upper bolt member also providing a pivot connection 'between said socket and said leg members for swinging movemento said. socket between said leg members to and from substantially horizontal position respectively for inserting va mast into said socket and thereafter for erecting said socket 'and mast, a lower bolt member insertable transversely into said leg members rand through the interposed upright socket below the lower end of said mast Vto vhold said socket and mast lin upright position against swinging movement on said leg member, said lower bolt member being removable from-said inserted position to 'again provide for swinging movementvof said socket onsaid upper bolt member for the purposes described. f

HUGH G. snsnms.

References cites in the fue of this .patent A UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,535 Shelton -..evs- Apr. 10, A,1928 

